{Idea We Heart} Buy a Cup for a Cop

Good morning 2 Hearts readers!

We came across a post on Tuesday that struck a chord with us, especially in light of Monday's events in Boston. Our hearts have been heavy this week, and we've experienced an array of emotions while watching the news coverage of this tragedy. It's times like these that we remember who true heroes are--the police officers, fire fighters, and other first responders who are the first to go on scene when devastating events happen. It takes a tremendous amount of bravery and commitment to go to work knowing you might be walking into the midst of a dangerous or hazardous situation, but these men and women do it every day with courage. 

Like many of you, we personally know many men and women in uniform, and feel an immense amount of gratitude for their service every day, but especially in times like this week. We want them to know how much we appreciate them.

Maddy Hague, Managing Editor of The TomKat Studio blog, and blogger behind the nesting blog Somewhere Splendid, had a wonderful idea. She feels the same desire to show appreciation to those in uniform, so she posted this beautiful graphic and the simple idea of buying a cup of coffee for a police officer, fire fighter, or other first responder to let them know you appreciate what they do.

{image via The TomKat Studio}

Here are Maddy's heartfelt words, and her instructions on how to show your support:

What to Do: Buy a cup of coffee for a local fire fighter, police officer, or other first responder when you come across one. Approach them and explain that you’d like to buy them one out of appreciation for their service, and ask what they’d like or have them escort you to a coffee shop. On the run, or shy? Get a gift card with the approximate value of a cup of coffee (or more!) to a local or chain coffee shop and keep it on hand.

Spread the Word: Let everyone know you’re participating so we can engage more people. If you have a blog, post a note about it. If you’ve bought a cup of coffee for someone, Instagram it with the hashtag #cupsforcops – share your gift card photos, too!

A Thank You for You: If you’ve participated by reposting it on your blog, e-mail me. I’ll include links to everyone’s posts on Friday to return the favor for getting the word out.

Printable: I’ve created a printable gift card sleeve for those who want to spread the love that way. It’s designed to fit a Starbucks gift card. It has a note on the back explaining what we’re doing as well as a place to write your name, so the first responder you share it with has a momento of your token of appreciation. You can download it over at my post on Somewhere Splendid.

Thanks for your time, everyone. We are so proud of our folks who work every day to keep us safe, so we hope you’ll join us in showing them support.

We couldn't agree more, Maddy!

I love her idea of buying a gift card and keeping it on hand so you can give it to someone next time you see them; it's so easy, yet will show one of these individuals a small token of your appreciation. And don't forget, you can download the beautiful free gift card sleeve here!

I'm going to print a few of these to attach to some gift cards and keep them on hand. Join us in thanking those who help keep us safe, and spread the word for others to do the same.

Thanks for stopping by, and have a great Thursday!